SAOTA’s Bellgrave House in LA

WORDS Michaela Stehr IMAGES Mike Kelley

Local architecture firm SAOTA has built a brand new home in the Los Angeles Hollywood Hills called Bellgrave House, that pays homage to the iconic Mid-century style of the region.

Towering over the well-known Laurel Canyon Boulevard, uninterrupted views and vistas travel as far as Santa Monica. Drawing influence from Pierre Koenig’s famous Stahl House (known as Case Study House No. 22), it can be spotted from the views of the new rendition.

Using the precedent of Stahl House and other inspiring examples, SAOTA embraced the notion of indoor/outdoor living – appropriate to the climate and lifestyles of the people in the suburb.

READ MORE: SAOTA’s WAF 2022 Shortlisted Projects

Perched on pillars on a raised platform, the home was elevated for maximum views, projecting outward over the edge of a cliff. In the main lounge, as another ode to Stahl House, Bellgrave is built within a glass box at the front of the house, with a long infinity pool extending beneath the architecture. This creates a feeling of magically floating, with the edge of the rim-flow pool lining up with the horizon of the Pacific Ocean.

The grid of the city guides the angles and lines of the house, connecting it with the landscape below while having an adequate level of elevation and privacy. Careful consideration was taken in creating an indoor/outdoor experience, through the use of landscaping, focal points and a variety of outdoor areas for al fresco dining, relaxation and entertaining.

READ MORE: Contemporary Cape Town Family Home Designed by SAOTA

On arrival, you are greeted with curved arched walls immediately providing a sense of “occasion” for the home beyond. Inside the bedrooms and private spaces offer sweeping views but are contained enough to counteract the vast city below, for a feeling of intimacy and cosiness.

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